Section 2

Section 2: you will hear a woman called Annie, who works at the snow center in New Zealand, welcoming a group of visitors to the center. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

Hi everyone, welcome to the snow center. My name’s Annie. I hope you enjoyed the bus trip from the airport. We’ve certainly got plenty of snow today. Well, you’ve come to New Zealand’s premier snow and ski center, and we’ve a whole load of activities for you during your week here. Most visitors come here for the cross-country skiing; where you’re on fairly flat ground for most of the time rather than going down steep mountainsides. There are marked trails, but you can also leave these and go off on your own; and that’s an experience not to be missed. You can go at your own speed. It’s great aerobic exercise if you really push yourself. Or if you prefer, you can just glide gently along and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This afternoon, you’ll be going on a dogsled trip. You may have seen our dogs on TV recently racing in the winter sled festival. If you want, you can have your own team for the afternoon and learn how to drive them; following behind our leader on the trail. Or if you prefer, you can just sit back in the sled and enjoy the ride as a passenger. At the weekend we have the team relay event and you’re all welcome to join in. We have a local school coming along and a lot of the teachers are taking part too. Participation rather than winning is the main focus, and there’s a middle for everyone who takes part. Participants are in teams of 2 to 4, and each team must complete four laps of the course. For your final expedition you’ll head off to mount Freno, wearing a pair of special snow shoes which allow you to walk on top of the snow. This is an area where mine is once searched for gold; though there are very few traces of their work lift now. When the snow melts in summer, the mountain slopes are carpeted and flowers and plants. That’s a long ascent, though not too steep and walkers generally take a couple of days to get to the summit and return. You’ll spend the night in a hut, halfway up the mountain. That’s included in your package for the stay. It’s got cooking facilities, firewood and water for drinking. For washing we recommend you use melted snow though to conserve supplies. We can take your luggage up on our snowmobile for you, for just ten dollars a person. The hut has cooking facilities so you can make a hot meal in the evening and morning; but you need to take your own food. The weather on Mount Freno can be very stormy. In that case stay in the hut. Generally, the storms don’t last long. Don’t stress about getting back here to the center in time to catch the airport bus. They’ll probably not be running anyway. We do have an emergency locator beacon in the hut. But only use that if it’s a real emergency; like if someone’s ill or injured.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20.

Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

Now, let me tell you something about the different ski trails you can follow during your stay here. Highland trails directly accessible from where we are now. These trails been designed to give first-timers and experience they’ll enjoy regardless of their age or skill. But it’s also ideal for experts to practice their technique. Then there’s Pine Trail; if you’re nervous about skiing, leave this one to the experts. You follow a steep valley looking right down on the river below. Scary, but if you fully master the techniques needed for hills, it’s great fun. Stoney trail is a good choice once you’ve got a general idea of the basics; there are one or two tricky sections but nothing too challenging. These are shelter halfway where you can sit and take a break and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. And finally, losers trail. This starts off following a gentle River Valley but the last part is quite exposed, so the snow conditions can be challenging. If it’s snowing or windy, check with us before you set out to make sure the trails open that day. Right, so now if you’d like to follow me, we’ll get started.

That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.